For baseball fans in Paterson, a near three-decade-long offseason finally came to an end earlier this year.  On Sunday, May 21, the New Jersey Jackals defeated the Sussex County Miners 10-6 in their home opener. For Jackals’ fans, you couldn’t have asked for a better opening day: beautiful weather (sunny skies and mid 70s), an entertaining game featuring plenty of offensive fireworks— including 10 home runs—and, most importantly, a win in their new home. Yet holding greater significance than the result of a Frontier League (independent professional league) contest is the reopening of Sil ..read more

Rob Thorp sits down every evening for a couple of hours and writes. He might be working on a new script, a short story or, of late, a novel. His practice begins with writing by hand, which allows him to slow down before jumping onto his computer. Monday through Friday, Thorp dives into his writing practice after a full day of teaching high school English and film studies classes in Bridgewater.  “I’m very blue-collar about art,” Thorp says. “I don’t believe in waiting for [inspiration]. I’m a daily practitioner. [I work in] achievable pieces so I never really lose the thread. I think tha ..read more

It’s a great time to be a punk/hardcore fan living on the East Coast— NYC, Philly, Baltimore, Richmond… all the hubs you know and love are humming. It’s also fairly hard to dispute that the 2020s—mired as it’s been in the horror-scape of COVID, emboldened bigotry, calamitous manifestations of climate change, class war and a shambolic government—have been a particularly prosperous decade for the scene in NJ thus far. Gel, School Drugs, AMMO, Dusters… the wave of undeniable bands emanating from the Garden State seems never-ending and, frankly, we’re tickled-fucking-pink about it.  &nbs ..read more

When James Hughes first tasted coffee that his friend Nick Cox made, he was mad. Then he had a question for his lifelong friend. “Why couldn’t you make this coffee when we lived together?” recalls Hughes asking his old college roommate. The brew Cox had concocted was downright delicious. But not too long before Hughes sipped on coffee he had a larger question to ponder: What exactly was his purpose on Earth? That’ll make you gulp. “During COVID, I got laid off from my job,” explains Hughes. “It was a time of recalibration of thought of like, ‘OK what am I doing here? What do I want to do, a ..read more

I t feels like a dream. A big, gray cube of a building. Open the door and the Beach Boys are blasting. Walk around the corner and there’s an arcade game on the rafters, a vintage Coke machine in the corner. And rows upon rows of records. The odd ones catch your eye—the one with the woman alien fighter, the Christmas album from the band you didn’t think made those. The Eagles.  And then around the corner, the coolest venue you’ve never heard of. A small stage with vintage, beautifully upholstered chaise lounges and armchairs plucked straight from Oscar Wilde’s imagination.  Then, sudd ..read more

Anyone who has spent a decent amount of time in our state has one. It might be a night out with friends, a 21st birthday celebration, a bachelorette party. Or arriving with high hopes only to go home broke, enjoying a day at one of the few non-beach tags beaches in our state, or, as of late, going to see some kickass music festivals.  Indeed, everyone has an Atlantic City story. There’s few places in America like it and there’s definitely no other city in the Garden State that compares. Atlantic City is a city where tales are made, but the city itself kind of tells the story of the Gard ..read more

If you’re looking for an organization comparable to Flemington DIY, you could be searching for quite a while. From humble beginnings, a group of like-minded volunteers with lofty aspirations has helped transcend this local community art space into an institution, and a vital resource for the greater NJ area.  After finding a new home in the revitalized Stangl Road section in Flemington Borough’s Arts & Cultural District last year, FDIY has been thrust into hyperdrive, utilizing the location as a workshop, studio, venue, community center and hub for a diverse portfolio of programming t ..read more

Recording an album has always been a process for alternative band The Head and the Heart. But along with the normal obstacles that come with making a record, The Head and the Heart have to deal with a rather quotidian concern: logistics. The band is six members strong, and getting six people in a studio has its challenges.  “I’m sure the record label would say it was hard,” says drummer Tyler Williams, laughing. “I think that’s the hardest part of it because it costs a lot of money to move people around to higher studios, higher Airbnbs and rental cars and all that stuff. I think it’s a ..read more

Going to Warped Tour in the past guaranteed two things: 1) That you’ll see some great bands perform all day, and 2) That it usually falls on the hottest or most humid day of the year.  Kennedy Brock (guitar/vocals) of The Maine remembers those days vividly. Of course it’s hard to forget about the dry Arizona heat, but he also remembers how Warped Tour made him feel.  “I remember sweating out in 100-degree heat,” says Brock about Warped Tour. “You know, I love that stuff. There were so many bands and people that I was introduced to that changed my life.” Brock and his bandmates wante ..read more

When Jess Noé got prescribed Concerta for her Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in 2018, everything finally clicked for her and fell into place.   “Concerta was the first medication that truly helped me without major drawbacks,” says the Ocean Township resident. “I’d been put on Adderall, Ritalin, Wellbutrin and others with mixed results over the years, but this actually helped me maintain extended focus throughout the day.” Concerta is a drug that is used to help with symptoms of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD. Millions of Americans take Concerta, Ritalin or Adde ..read more